Koharu II
by animefreakshow
Summary: Thi is my sequel of my other story, Koharu. If you have not read Koharu, I suggest that you go and read it first. Summary Inside
1. Illness

**Author's Note: Here is chapter 1 of Koharu II. It is a sequel of my other store, Koharu. If you have not read Koharu, I suggest that you go and read it first. Basically, Koharu's age will vary. It starts from when she's still one years old, and then it skips around to different ages. It's almost like journal entries at first, but not exactly. For the majority of this story, she is eleven. I know, at first, it appears ironic, because well, that's when Sana and Akito got to know each other, but trust me, Koharu's life is slightly different. Well, here is part of chapter one. I hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kodocha, but I DO own Koharu. Thank you.**

* * *

Chapter One: Illness

"Talking"

"_Thoughts"_

(One Year Old)

"I know, sweetie. I know." Sana said, soothingly, while rubbing Koharu's back. The clock ticked 4:45 am, and Sana was trying to keep herself awake with the TV on, along with a cup of coffee. Koharu continued to whimper and whine in Sana's shoulder, her fists gripping her shirt like a lifeline. Poor, little Koharu was sick with an ear-ache, which was very rare. Koharu didn't get sick. Maybe, occasionally, she would get a twenty-four hour stuffy nose, or a cough, but that was it. Now, she has an ear ache, along with a fever. "Mama." Koharu mumbled. Sana sighed to herself. She didn't know what else she could possibly do. She and Akito took her to the doctor two days ago, and the doctor prescribed medication for her, but they could only give it to her twice a day. They also had to keep cotton balls in her ears, which was not a simple task. Koharu constantly wanted to pluck them out, but they could not let her. It seemed that all Sana could do was comfort her, and pray that the medicine would work its magic. Taking care of a sick baby was a hassle; Sana never got to sleep. Sana kept one arm around Koharu, while she quickly took another sip of coffee. You'd think the caffeine would keep her awake, since it typically just made her more hyper. Although, things change when you've been awake for nearly three days straight with a sick one year old. Suddenly, Koharu nearly screamed. Sana held back a suprised gasp. The scream was unexpected, and it was breaking Sana's heart. "I'm sorry, baby." She whispered. She thought to herself, _"I'm giving it until tomorrow. If she's not, at least, making progress at getting better by tomorrow, I'm taking her back to the doctor_."

"What's going on?" A groggy voice brought Sana out of her thoughts. She turned her head around to see Akito at the entrance of the living room, along with a dog slightly nudging him along. "Akito, what are you doing up?" Akito just walked towards her and Koharu. "I could ask you the same question..." He started, but then stopped himself. He knew full well that his daughter was sick. He showed the baby monitor that was in his hand, and then pointed at Shiro. Apparently, Koharu's constant crying, and then screaming, woke him and Shiro up. "Akito, I thought I turned that off." Sana stated. Akito set the monitor on the coffee table, and sat beside Sana on the couch, while Shiro laid at his feet. "Yes, but I turned it back on." Sana's eyes widened. "Why did you do that? You have school!" Akito shrugged it off. "Yes, but I don't think it's fair for you to be up with her all night, while I sleep." Sana rolled her eyes. "How many times have we gone over this?" Koharu's cries increased, once again. "Koharu, baby, I know." Sana said, yet again. She was running out of words of comfort. "Here." Akito said, offering to hold Koharu for a minute. Sana handed her to him, giving her arms a rest. All the while, Koharu continued to cry. "Shh." Akito said. The same as before, Koharu's little hands gripped his shirt as tight as she could. "Akito." Sana started, and he listened. "Not that I don't appreciate your help, because I do. But, I really wish you would go back to sleep. Don't you have that huge test?" Akito just nodded. "Don't worry about it." Sana just couldn't let it go. Sure, she didn't have to worry about school, since she got her GED, but that didn't mean Akito's education didn't matter. He was almost finished. "The test will be easy anyway." Akito said, confidently. Sana sighed. "That's not the point, Akito. You have your well-being to consider. You'll be too exhausted to simply sit up in your chair, let alone pass an "easy" test..."

"Sana." Akito said, cutting her off. "Don't worry about it." He said, obviously ending that conversation. Sana was about to fight back, when Koharu let out a pitiful cry again. Akito and Sana, both reverted their attention to their little girl, who struggled with pain. "Daddy." Koharu mumbled, desperately, it seemed like. Akito rubbed her back, and rocked her gently. "She's not getting better, Akito. What are we gonna do?" Sana asked. Akito mumbled, "I don't know," while trying to comfort Koharu. Shiro had been quiet the whole time, but she heard Koharu's cries again, and she stood up and placed her head on Akito's leg, and sighed in a whimpery kind of way. It seemed that Shiro was worried about Koharu too.

Shiro at first, was a typical puppy; had lots of energy, chewed on shoes, needed potty training, and at times became a pain in the butt. Luckily, she was easy to train. Now, even though she's still technically a puppy, her exterior was that, of an adult-sized dog. She had grown tremendously fast, and she became the greatest companion. Akito thought that, if trained right, Shiro would make a great guard dog for Koharu and Sana.

Since Akito had his arms full, wrapped around Koharu, Sana rubbed Shiro's ears, and then patted her on the head. "We know, Shiro. We're worried about her too." She said. Shiro kept staring at Koharu. Koharu's crying volume started to decrease, but the whimpers were still there. This time, Shiro put both of her front paws on Akito's legs, and propped herself up, to get a better look. "Shiro." Akito warned. He didn't have to say anymore. Shiro sat her paws back down on the ground, in disappointment. Sana suddenly patted her leg. "Come here." She said. Shiro was hesitant at first, but then she hopped up on the couch, on the other side of Sana, and used Sana's lap as a lever to see Koharu better. "Sana, I don't want Shiro getting too close to Koharu." Akito warned. Sana smiled. "Don't worry. She just wants to see, she's worried." At that moment, Koharu's head moved away from Akito's shoulder, and looked to her left to see Shiro on the couch next to Sana. She sniffled, and pushed against Akito's chest, trying to detach herself from him, and stretched her arms out towards Sana and Shiro. Akito gently forced her arms down, and said, "No, Koharu." Shiro happened to be close enough, that she pressed her nose against Koharu's leg. "Shiro." Akito said, sharply. Sana lightly slapped Akito's leg. "Stop it. She's fine." She snapped. Koharu's eyes started to droop, and she rested comfortably against Akito's chest. She kept watching Shiro intently, and her nose was still pressed against Koharu's leg. Shiro suddenly licked her leg gently, and Koharu let out a giggle. That giggle didn't last, though, because she started whimpering in pain again. "Daddy... Mama..." She complained. Those two words basically said this: "Mama, Daddy, help me! Make it go away!" Akito didn't know what to do either. Then, he spoke. "We're taking her back to the doctor tomorrow. That medicine she gave us is crap. It's done nothing." Sana nodded. "I was thinking the exact same thing. Let's take her as soon as you get out of school." Akito nodded.

He started rocking Koharu again, hoping that it would help her sleep. Sana kept her eyes on Koharu, while she continuously ran her fingers through Shiro's fur. Koharu's quiet cries started to become random sniffles. Her eyes were closing, and Sana was sighing with relief. Sana would give anything just to see Koharu sleep soon. She didn't get her hopes up, however. Sure, Koharu's eyes would close, but maybe three minutes, and she'll be awake crying from pain again. Akito was able to see that Koharu's eyes were closed, as did Sana, he asked, "Should we put her to bed now?" Sana shook her head. "There's no point in that." Sana knew too well. "She won't be asleep for long." Akito went to give Koharu a light kiss on the forehead, but he suddenly flinched when his lips made contact with her skin. Akito abruptly stood up. The movement caused Koharu to wake up, and once again, she started to cry. "Akito, what?" Sana asked. Shiro was off the couch, and she started barking up at Akito for his sudden movements. Akito didn't respond, and he rushed into the kitchen. Sana and Shiro followed, and Shiro was still barking. "Shiro, be quiet." Sana said. Sure, they were all awake, but everyone else that occupied the househole were very well asleep. Akito ended up in the kitchen, and he started running water in the sink. "Akito, what's wrong?" Sana asked again. Akito picked up a clean wash cloth, and started running cold water over it. "Feel her. Her fever spiked." Sana put her hand on her forehead. She pulled away, and gasped. "Oh, my gosh. Poor, Koharu." She whispered, as Koharu was crying again. Akito turned off the water, and sat down in a chair, bringing Koharu into a cradled position. Sana took a seat across from him, took the cloth out of his hand, and placed it against her face. One of her hands was still on her plain forehead, while her other hand ran the washcloth against Koharu's face. "Her fever has gotten so much worse." She said. Fevers had to be so dangerous for babies. About this time around, Sana started to get even more worried about Koharu, if that was even capable.

Koharu was starting to push Sana's hand away, but Sana wouldn't have it. Akito already knew this, and he held onto Koharu's hands, keeping them in place. Sana ended up taking the cloth away, to put more cold water on it. Akito took the moment to feel Koharu's forehead again. Nothing was changing, if anything, she was getting warmer. "Sana, hurry up with that." Akito rushed. Sana rushed back to them with the cloth, dripping with water. The cloth was uncomfortable to Koharu, but at the same time, it was cold, which made her feel better, just a little. She still continued to cry, it was cold, but she was still uncomfortable. She felt extremely hot, not to mention the constant pain in her ears that just wouldn't go away. "We know, sweetie. We're trying to fix it, baby." Sana said, soothingly.

After five minues of constantly running fresh water on the wash cloth for Koharu, nothing was changing for the better. Akito and Sana had switched positions. Sana held Koharu, while Akito ran the cold washcloth against Koharu's skin. He ended up getting a bowl, and filled it up with ice and water. This way, he could constantly keep the washcloth cold. Akito watched Sana carefully, and he noticed that Sana's eyes never left Koharu. Her eyes were filled with so much worry, Akito was concerned that Sana would suddenly lose it. He heard her sniff, and he questioned it. "Sana?" He asked, but Sana just shook her head. He went to feel Koharu's forehead again, and this time he stood up. He should do this now, before anything gets worse. He left the room, and came back with Koharu's carseat. "Akito, where are we going?" Sana asked. He said simply, "We're going to take care of this before she gets any worse." Sana's head fell. "Akito, this means we'll have to wake up Rei to get us there." Akito happened to pick up the telephone that resided in the kitchen. "Not necessarily. I'm calling a taxi." It sure does stink when you can't just drive yourself. (A/N: I have no idea how the driving laws work in Japan.) "Now, hurry and get Koharu ready to go, and then put Shiro in her kennel." Akito instructed. Sana nodded, and stood up, but then she stopped. "Wait, but the doctor's offices aren't even open this early in the morning." Akito rolled his eyes at himself. "That's why we're taking Koharu to the hospital." Sana held back a gasp. "_The hospital? I haven't been to the hospital since. . . since. . ."_ She cringed at the thought. Now was not the time to think about events of the past. She had to take care of the present issue at hand, and that was getting her daughter well again. She nodded to Akito, and quickly scribbled down a note to her mother, if she were to wake up before they returned. Then, she rushed up the stairs, with Koharu and Shiro in tow.

Akito had already called the taxi, and was in the living room putting on his shoes, when he noticed the tv that was on. Of course, when taking care of Koharu, what was playing on TV payed no mind to him, until now. There happened to be a commercial playing, but there was a rush of words trailing at the top of the screen. It said, "Sana Kurata: A bad influence on teenagers and children?" The words continued to show up in a loop, and it was making Akito angry. He wanted to watch more, and see what the News people would say about Sana. However, once the commercial had ended, Sana had already appeared at the door, ready to go. Akito quickly turned off the TV, and found enough will power to ignored the Newscast, for now anyway. Right now, taking care of his daughter was the most important thing.

* * *

"Akito?" A voice questioned. "Akito?!" The voice said again, followed by urgent poking. Then, he heard a bell ring. He ignored it. He was just way too exhausted from the night's events. On the other end of sleep, a young man continued to poke him. Tsuyoshi was relieved when the teacher took a moment to leave the classroom to accept a phonecall. Now, he could wake him up, and talk to Akito. When he first saw Akito walk into the classroom, Akito's expression was absolutely horrible. His eyes were bloodshot, and they looked like he had seen a ghost, or some form of an unpleasant experience. His eye also held sadness and complete worry. Tsuyoshi wanted to ask Akito what was wrong, but couldn't because the bell rang, and class was in session. The "difficult" test was passed out, and the entire class began, except for Akito. It didn't take maybe five minutes, and he had fallen asleep. Tsuyoshi was paying attention to his test, but at the same time, he couldn't help but watch his best friend, and worry about him. Once the teacher left, Tsuyoshi started to wake him up.

"Akito, come on." He said, while shaking him harder. Akito's face had moved, and it faced Tsuyoshi. His eyes were still closed, but his mouth was moving slowly. "_Did he say something?_ Tsuyoshi wondered. He got a little closer, to see if he was saying anything. Sure enough, he was mumbling something in his sleep, but Tsuyoshi was having a hard time at making out the jumbled words. The words he did hear, however, gave him a shock. The following words were: "Koharu... Hospital... Sana... Heart attack..." Tsuyoshi's eyes widened. He shook Akito even harder. "Akito! Wake up!" This time, he smacked him. Akito's eyes opened slowly. His eyes narrowed at Tsuyoshi. "What?" Akito sat up, and realized where he was. He was at school, not at the hospital. Now, he could remember. While they were at the hospital, they managed to get ahold of Natsumi. It was almost 7:00, and Akito had to get to school. Since Natsumi was at the hospital, Akito felt just a tad better at leaving Sana there. Besides, Sana wouldn't have it. She was almost acting like his mother, when she pretty much ordered him to go to school.

Now, here he was at school, worrying sick about his daughter and Sana. "Akito, what happened to you?" Tsuyoshi asked. Akito's eye rose in question. "What are you talking about?" Tsuyoshi's face fell. "I'm sorry, but I heard what you were saying in your sleep." Akito thought about it for a second, but then he realized it. Akito figured he might as well tell him now, so he won't be questioned about it later. As Tsuyoshi waited for Akito to begin his story, he kept thinking, "What in the world happened?"

* * *

(Flashback)

They had finally arrived at the hospital, Koharu's fever spiked, once again. Now, she was screaming. Everything seemed to go in their favor, when the hospital was pretty much empty, so there was no wait. However, everything took a turn for the worse, when the doctor proposed doing tests on Koharu. Sana had been holding Koharu the whole time, while the doctor looked her over; took her temperature, looked at her ears, and every other check-up a doctor had to do on a patient. But, when the doctor wanted to do actual tests on Koharu, like blood draws, Sana hated the idea. She kept mumbling, "No," and tried to hold Koharu closer. Koharu's cries didn't stop, they got worse. The doctor said, "We have to do this now, or she'll only get worse." Sana nodded, and she and Akito stood up, to follow the doctor to a different room. The fact that the doctor had to take Koharu's blood was spooking the young parents to no end. Once they got to the room, there was a table, and two other nurses in there, with the equipment needed. Sana stopped at the entrance, and she was suddenly changing her mind. She only held Koharu even tighter, in a way to protect her. The doctor walked closer to Sana, and spoke. "I'm sorry, but you two are going to have to leave the room, and leave her with me." This time, Akito spoke. "What?" The doctor nodded. "Yes, if the parents are in there, she could get distracted, and won't sit still. It's only for the best. Now..." He started to reach out to take Koharu from Sana, but Sana didn't budge. "But..." Sana started. The thought of having to leave her baby in there alone, it was making her sick. The doctor smiled, to make her feel better. "It won't take long." He said. Sana backed away from the doctor, she was about to make a run for it. But, as she was about to pass the door, Akito was the one that stopped her. She had water rimming at her eyes. Akito hesitantly, but carefully took the still, crying Koharu out of Sana's arms. That was a bad idea, Koharu latched onto him like velcro. He quickly hugged her, and sighed to himself. He had to be strong, and he knew that it was for the best. He pulled her away from his chest, and started to give her to the doctor, but Koharu started to fight it. "No." She said. Akito swallowed and said, "Koharu. Stop it." It was said, with all seriousness in his voice. Before he knew it, Koharu was in the doctor's arms, and her screaming increased. "Mama! Daddy!" Akito looked away from his daughter, who was reaching for him, and Sana was already crying in his arms. Akito shut the door, and brought Sana to sit down at a row of chairs that were near the door. He sat with her, and held her. That was one of the most toughest things he ever had to do. What made it worse, was they could still hear Koharu's screams through the walls. Akito covered Sana's ears, and kissed her forehead, to somehow reassure her.

About fifteen minutes passed, and Akito could hear Sana's shallow breathing. She had cried herself to sleep. He scooted away from her, and gently laid her on the row of chairs. He looked at a clock that was hanging on the wall, and it read 6:43am. "_Oh, no."_ He thought. There was no way he was going to leave Sana alone here. At the same time, Sana would still make sure that he went, even if it meant she had to be here by herself. Akito had to think of something. He should call Sana's mother, or someone that could be with her until school was out. The only person that kept striking into his mind, he used one of the hospital phones to call her. He called his one and only sister, Natsumi.

It didn't take ten minutes, and Natsumi was running through the hospital doors. So that Natsumi wouldn't wake Sana up, Akito ran to meet her halfway. "Is she okay?" Natsumi asked. For a second, Akito didn't know if she was talking about Koharu or Sana. So he answered about both of them. "They're not finished with the tests yet, and Sana..." He stopped, and just pointed to the girl sleeping. He didn't say anymore, and Natsumi was running towards Sana. Instead of running, he walked back to the chairs. Once he got to them, Natsumi was sitting by Sana's head, and stroking her hair back. Akito remained standing, and Natsumi whispered, "Poor thing." Once again, he couldn't tell if she was talking about Koharu or Sana. Of course, he was more than worried about Koharu's condition. Now, he was worried about Sana too. "_I wouldn't be surprised if she had a heart attack throughout all of this."_ He shook his head, as he flinched at the thought. "By the way, Akito?" Natsumi asked.

Akito looked at his sister, and answered, "What?" Natsumi was about to continue, but she stopped herself. "_What if he doesn't know?"_ Natsumi thought. "Spit it out." Akito said, abruptly.

"Okay, have you or Sana seen the news lately?" She asked. He already knew why she would ask this. He nodded, and was about to answer, but someone interrupted him. "Yes, I have." Sana's voice. With Akito and Natsumi's attention on Sana, they waited for her to continue. Natsumi helped her sit up, and she spoke again. "Apparently, I'm a bad influence now. Parents don't want their kids watching me on TV anymore." Sana said, solemnly. Natsumi gasped. "Why would people think such a thing?" Akito already knew the answer, and decided to tell Natsumi himself, rather than have Sana explain. "It's because of Koharu." He said, quickly. Sana's head fell in confirmation. She nodded, and said, "It's because I'm a teen mother. Parents think that I'm promoting teen pregnancy. Some were already complaining that their daughters are wanting babies, because I have one. And, even some parents say that their daughters are already pregnant, and they're younger than I am." She rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. "I didn't mean it." She whispered. Since Natsumi was closer, she pulled Sana into a reassuring hug. "Sana, that's awful." Natsumi said. Akito just stood there, and watched them. In all honesty, this whole thing was ridiculous. Just because other teens in the world are reproducing, that gives their parents no right to blame Sana. And she didn't ask for this, it just happened. Akito knew more than anyone that they weren't trying to promote anything. They are just living their lives, and being a parent is part of their lives now.

A gasp from Sana brought Akito out of his thoughts. She was staring at the wall. He turned around, and noticed that she was staring at the clock. "Akito, you have to go." Sana said, standing up. She got closer to him. "Natsumi's with me now, you need to go." She hugged him tightly. He knew she didn't want him to go. "Sana, I don't have to go." He said. Sana nodded against his chest. "Yes, you do. I promise, I'll be fine. Go ace your test for me, okay?" She pulled him tighter one last time, placed a light kiss on his cheek, then shoved him away from her. Akito released her arms, and turned around, running towards the door.

(End flashback)

* * *

Tsuyoshi's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it, but it was indeed, true. Akito had returned to his test,and since Tsuyoshi had already finished his, he couldn't help thinking about all of the things Akito had told him. He felt bad for that whole family. As if hours had passed by, the bell rang ending the class. Akito and Tsuyoshi stood up from their desks, and walked out of the class room. However, once Akito got to his locker, with Tsuyoshi following, four girls tackled Akito. He had his back against the lockers, and the girls were bombarding him with questions. This was because Fuka happened to be at the Kurata household when Koharu's sickness started. This is why all of Sana's friends knew all of the details.

"Oh my gosh, Akito, what's wrong with Koharu?"

"How is Koharu? Is she okay?"

"What about Sana? She must be so tired!" And the questions and exclamations went on. Akito just stared at them. He was too tired and worried to answer anything. Suddenly, a voice shouted over all of them. "Quiet, all of you!" The girls turned around to see Tsuyoshi. The girls had shut up, but Akito paid no mind. He simply looked to his left, which led to the exit of the school. Tsuyoshi already knew what was wrong. "Akito." He said. Akito turned his head back, and glanced at Tsuyoshi. Tsuyoshi nodded. "Go." He said. Akito's eyes widened. "What?" He whispered.

"Get back to the hospital. You don't have any other tests today. Go on." Then, he walked closer to Akito, and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry. I'll tell the girls everything." Akito stole a quick glance at the four girls that were just itching to question him again. He looked back at Tsuyoshi one last time, and said, "I owe you one. Big time." He turned on his heel, and ran out of the school.

* * *

Akito reached the hospital in record time. This time when he got there, Misako was in the waiting room, along with Sana and Natsumi. Misako and Sana were seated beside eachother. Once Akito got closer to them, he noticed that Sana was curled up against Misako, fast asleep. He also took note that her cheeks were still a bit wet. Before he could ask questions, Misako put a finger up to her lips, to keep Akito quiet. Natsumi, who was sitting on the other side of Sana, stood up, and grabbed Akito's hand. She whispered, "Let's go get something to eat in the cafeteria. I'll tell you everything." In truth, he wasn't really hungry, but he did want information on what was going on. He kept staring at Sana though. Natsumi tugged on his hand, pulling him away. She whispered, "Come on. Sana will be fine." Akito finally gave in, and followed her to the cafeteria. He pulled his hand away, and said, "You are aware that the food here sucks, right?" Natsumi rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know. But, I don't want to leave the hospital. I'm pretty sure you understand that." Akito just nodded.

They both got something to eat: Natsumi was honestly hungry, Akito got something just so Natsumi wouldn't bug him about not eating. He had no appetite what so ever. They were seated opposite side of eachother, and before Natsumi could scoot her chair all the way in, Akito was already asking questions, "So, what's going on?" Natsumi didn't answer to his demand. She waited until she was comfortable, while her little brother glared at her. She could also hear his foot tapping. "Akito, relax, please! Can you give me thirty seconds, at least?" Akito kept tapping and glaring. She picked up a pair of chopsticks, ready to eat, and Akito stopped her. "Are you kidding me?" She put them down, and looked up at him. He was angry. "You're just going to sit there and ignore me? My daughter is sick, Sana is probably about to lose her mind, and all you want to do is, stuff your face?!" Natsumi sighed, and put her chopsticks down. "I'm sorry." She said, sincerely. "What do you. . ."

"Tell me what's going on!" He demanded. Natsumi briefly closed her eyes, then opened them. "Okay. Okay." He sat back, and relaxed. "Well?" He asked. Natsumi smiled. "Well, Koharu should be fine. She's in surgery right now." Akito's eyes nearly bugged. "Why?" Natsumi hesitantly touched one of her ears, and said, "Ear tubes." Akito sighed with relief. Ear tubes aren't really that bad. As a matter of fact, he remembered Natsumi having to get those when she was little. It should more than, fix Koharu's horrible ear infection. Natsumi took one bite of her meal, and then spoke again. "They should be done anytime now." Akito just nodded again. For some reason, he felt a bit better. Natsumi went to pick up another piece of her food, but then pointed at Akito's plate. "Now, will you please eat something?" Akito sighed with defeat, and picked up a pair of his own chopsticks. He still didn't have an appetite, but just so Natsumi would cease the nagging, he ate in silence.

* * *

Twenty minutes passed, and Natsumi and Akito were back with the family in the waiting room. Sana was still sleeping, with her mother's arms still wrapped around her. Finally, a doctor was slowly approaching them. Misako gently shoved Sana aside, bringing her to attention. Sana's eyes widened, as she took in her surroundings, remembering where she was. Akito figured it must've been days since she's had any form of rest. As Sana quickly glanced around, she saw Akito and Natsumi standing close to her. Her eyes were questioning, as to why Akito was there in the first place. He was supposed to be in school. He quickly sat down beside her, and whispered, "Don't worry about it." But, before she could say anything, the doctor had arrived. He smiled gently, and noticed the newcomer, that was Akito. He said, "There's no reason to question, you're definitely Koharu's dad." Akito didn't feel like making a sly remark, so he just nodded his head. "Well?" Sana started, "How is she?" The doctor's smile remained, and he answered. "She's just fine now. She hasn't woken up yet. You are all more than welcome, to come see her now." Sana immediately stood up from her seat, and grabbed the doctor's hand in gratitude. "Oh, that's wonderful. Thank you so much!" She started shaking his hand over and over again. Once he got his hand free, he laughed sincerely. "It was no problem at all, Ms. Kurata, or is it. . . " He started, then made a quick glance at Akito, wondering if she had already taken his last name. Sana just shook her head. "Kurata is fine." Even though Sana still had the ring, there had been no plans or talk of a wedding just yet.

Sana broke the quick silence, and started walking down the hall. "Well, let's go! I want to get her home!" But, then she stopped short. "She can come home today, right?"

"Yes, we should be able to release her in a few hours." Everyone, that included Sana, Akito, Misako, and Natsumi followed the doctor into a room, that was probably for recovery. Sana didn't hesitate, and she literally ran towards the only bed that was in there. Akito wasn't too far behind her. Just seeing her almost made Sana's heart melt. She exhaled a huge breath of relief. "Thank goodness." She whispered. Akito couldn't agree more. His hand was now resting over Koharu's forehead, and lightly touched it, hoping not to wake her up. At the moment, it was sort of an examination. As he hoped, her fever was gone. Her skin was no longer that scary shade of red, that she had earlier that morning. So that Koharu would not wake up from the slight touch, he removed his hand. Sana couldn't contain herself anymore. She didn't even bother asking for permission. As quietly as she was able, she picked her daughter up gently. Koharu was cradled in her arms, still sleeping soundly. Sana noticed a chair close by, and took advantage of it. Akito grabbed a different chair and sat beside her. She placed Koharu against her shoulder, and unconcsciously rocked her. She started whispering so quietly, that only Akito could hear her. "My baby. My baby." Sana kept repeating those two words over and over again. Everyone could realize now how scared Sana really was. What made Koharu's sickness so dangerous, was the outrageous fever.

Akito looked at Misako long and hard. She quickly caught his attention, and with one quick flick of his index finger, Misako was escorting everyone else in the room, out into the hallway. Once the door was shut, Akito felt more at ease, to be alone with his family. Sana's head was now sort of bent over Koharu's shoulder. Akito knew her well enough, to know why she was hiding her face. He reached out towards her face, and used his thumb to remove the wetness that was now on her cheeks. It could be the smallest of gestures, and Sana knew, without words, how much Akito truly loved her. She looked up and smiled brightly, as she wiped her other cheek that Akito could not easily reach.

Akito wanted to, but he didn't think it was the right time. However, that thought was quickly betrayed. He slowly stretched his arms out, asking permission to hold Koharu. Then, he quickly felt bad for asking, so he put his arms back down. Sana chuckled quietly. "Akito, you're so silly sometimes. Here." She gave Koharu to him without hesitation. He resituated Koharu, cradling her in the crook of his arm, then he did something unexpectedly. Holding Koharu with one arm, he stretched his other arm out towards Sana. He used his finger and curved it to him, motioning her to move forward. She already knew what he wanted. She scooted her chair closer to him, and without hesitation, his arm immediately wrapped around Sana. She rubbed her cheek again, and sniffed. "I'm okay." She whispered, reassuringly. He placed a gentle kiss on her temple, and pulled her closer with his left arm. For some reason, he couldn't explain how, he just wanted to be close with the two people that gave him meaning for life; his fiance and daughter. His chin now rested on Sana's head, and Sana spoke softly. "I love you." She mumbled. Akito wanted to say this, but didn't think it was appropriate. What he wanted to say was, "_I love you more."_

* * *

**I'm going to end this chapter with that, because I don't know where to go with it. Happy ending, yay! Lol. Another chapter will be up as soon as i get ideas. I am open to any ideas for this sequel. Please, people any ideas, address them, because I could use them. Thanks for reading, and I hoped you enjoyed the first chapter.**

**-Stephanie**


	2. GrandMama

**Author's Note: Here is chapter 2 of Koharu II. Just a quick reminder, this is a sequel to my other story. It's just called Koharu. If you have not read it, I suggest you do so. This chapter in particular will spoil a lot of you, if you have not read the story prior to this. So go read! :D I hope those of you, who are very well caught up with this story, will enjoy this chapter. It's definitely one of my favorites. I want to see what you guys think. Hope you like it! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kodocha, but I DO own Koharu. Thank you.**

* * *

Chapter Two: Grand-Mama

"Talking."

_"Thoughts."_

(One Year Old)

Eighteen year old Akito Hayama came rushing through the front door of the Kurata household. He was worried that maybe he had taken too long of a run. He entered the living room, and took a look at the clock on the wall. 9:30 am. Akito shrugged his shoulders and collapsed onto the couch, breathing heavily from running so long. He laid his head back and closed his eyes. He noticed that everything in the house was. . silent. That never happens anymore. In the past year or so, Akito learned real quick that silence was actually very precious, and should not be taken advantage of. With his life as chaotic as it is now, he would do anything to have, but a few moments of silence. Akito was surprisingly relieved to not have any commotion from his daughter, or Sana for the time being. It was probably because of what day it was: October 12th, Akito's Birthday, the day his mother passed away. All this time, and Akito couldn't help but have a melancholy mood whenever his birthday came around. No matter what Sana or anyone in his life said to him, he still held responsibility on his shoulders.

His much appreciated silence was soon interrupted, when he heard a seventeen year old woman shouting, a one year old toddler crying, and a full grown dog barking all in the same chorus on the second floor. Akito's closed eyes flinched, and he tried to listen in on what was going on upstairs. He heard a door open and then slam shut. "Oh, your daddy is going to kill me!" Akito heard Sana shout upstairs. Then he heard loud stomps coming from the stairs.

Sana finally made it to the living room, and she spotted Akito sitting there on the couch, his eyes were still closed. "Akito?" She walked towards the couch, with Koharu in tow, and Shiro was walking right behind her. Shiro laid down on the floor, and Sana sat on the couch. "Are you okay?" Sana asked. Koharu wiggled out of Sana's arms, and Sana let her go. Koharu crawled over to Akito, with a curious look in her eyes. "Daddy?" Koharu questioned. She placed her hands on one of Akito's legs, and propped herself up. Akito finally opened his eyes and looked down at Koharu. She was staring at him, with huge brown eyes. For a second, he could see a glimpse of Sana in the look that she was giving him. "_Hm. Maybe her looks will change after all." _He thought to himself, but then he quickly doubted it. Koharu looked so much like him, it almost scared him sometimes, especially when his sister would tease him and pull out a picture of himself when he was a baby. When you put a picture of himself as an infant and a picture of Koharu together, they could almost pass off as twins.

"Hey, kid." Akito said, as he lifted her up. Koharu didn't respond, she just laid her head on his shoulder and sighed, content. "Akito?" Sana started, but didn't know how to finish. Akito watched her open her mouth and then close it again. "What?" He asked. Sana's eyes softened and she looked so apologetic. "Akito, I'm so sorry. I know this day is so important. We're supposed to go see Mama Koharu. (She had just recently adopted the name for Akito's mother.) The baby, Koharu looked at Sana, thinking she had been called. Sana caught it, and said quickly, "Not you, sweetie. Anyway. ." Sana continued, and she kept rambling on really fast about how she overslept because Koharu didn't wake up. Sana never set her alarm anymore, because Koharu became her every morning, same time alarm clock. This morning, however, Koharu slept later than usual.

Sana kept speaking really fast, and now her arms and hands started shaking. The fact that she had to over sleep today, of all days, it just really upset her. Akito finally having enough of her pointless hysterics, sat Koharu down on the floor to play with Shiro. Shiro already had a toy next to her paw. She picked it up, and handed it to Koharu. Koharu took the toy, and she already knew how to play this game. She threw it, and Shiro ran the short distance to catch it. Sana and Akito became very greatful for this game, because it kept Koharu occupied for a very long time.

Akito finally grabbed ahold of Sana's shaking arms, trying to calm down. "Sana, stop it." He almost pleaded. Her arms stopped shaking, but her facial expression didn't change. "It's okay." Akito assured her. He poked her forehead with his finger playfully, and said, "You don't need to get all worked up like that." His playful attitude quickly disappeared after he said that. "It's no big deal."

"But. ." Sana started, about to argue, but Akito silenced her by placing his hand over her mouth. He said the sentence again. "It's okay." Sana was quiet, and Akito removed his hand from her mouth.

"But, it is a big deal! And, we're going to be late getting to the cemetery!" Sana blurted out. Akito sighed to himself. "Well, what needs done? I just got home when you. . ." He started, but then stopped short. He forgot to tell Sana that he was leaving the house in the first place.

"Where did you go?" Sana asked, curiously. She thought of a possible answer, and she became disappointed. "Did you decide to go without me and Koharu this time?" Akito's eyes widened briefly. "No. No, I didn't go anywhere near there. I just went for a run. Honest." Sana was skeptical at first, but then her eyes softened. "Well, okay then. I guess we all need to get ready then. But, there's so much to do!" She nearly shouted. Akito's eyes closed, then opened again. "As I said, what needs done?" Sana's eyes widened. "Well, I need a shower, you need a shower, and Koharu needs to be bathed, fed, dressed, and I want her to look nice, since it's your mother we're going to visit today. . " She was rambling again. Once again, Akito put his hand over her mouth. "Sana, just calm down, please? Did you forget there's like four bathrooms in this house?" She was tense for a second, but then she relaxed. He removed his hand once again. "Now, I'll get Koharu ready, while you get ready, all right?" He asked. Sana nodded, but then stopped. "But, what about you?" Akito slightly rolled his eyes. "Then, I'll get ready." Sana's eyes became very sad looking. "But, Akito, we're going to be so late." Akito shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. That grave stone isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I think my mother can wait." He said quietly. Sana stared for the longest time, but she finally sighed in defeat. "Oh, fine. I'm getting a shower now." Akito nodded, and Sana dashed up the stairs.

He saw that Sana had disappeared, but then realized that his daughter wasn't in sight either. "Koharu?" He stood up, and walked around the living room. It wasn't too long of a search. Koharu was standing by the door. "What do you want?" He asked. Koharu looked at him, and then looked back at the door, pointing at the door knob. "Out." She said. She slowly got on her tippy toes, and reached further for the door knob. "Out." She said again. Akito squatted down next to her. "Nope. Sorry, kiddo. Not right now." He snatched her up, before she could start crying. "Come, Shiro." He said quickly. Shiro followed behind him, and Akito ended up sending her outside in the back, fenced in yard. When Akito shut the door, and turned for the stairs, Koharu was reaching back for the door. "No. Out. Out." She kept saying. "Shiro. Out." She said. Akito turned her body around. "No, Koharu. Not right now." He said again. How many times would he have to say that to her in the following years?

* * *

Akito was wet. Well, his shirt, face, and most of his hair was wet. Koharu was crying, and splashing around in the bathtub filled with water. Because she wouldn't sit still, she got bits of shampoo in her eye. Akito decided to just take his drenched shirt off.

Everytime they gave her a bath, they always had to watch her ears. Ever since she had that horrible ear infection a few months ago, she had to have ear plugs for her ears because of the ear tubes that were placed in her ears. So, when Koharu was anywhere near water, it slightly spooked Sana and Akito, only because they were afraid that the ear plugs would come out if she played too roughly.

Koharu continued to cry and thrash around in the water, and Akito finally had to grab ahold of her. "Koharu, knock it off." He said. Once she gave in and stopped moving, Akito let go of her. Her crying didn't cease though. Akito grabbed the washcloth that was soaking at the bottom of the tub, and brought it up to Koharu's face. She turned her face away, her hands were rubbing her eyes in frustration. He pulled her hands away from her face. "If you keep doing that, it's only going to get worse." Akito warned. He gently grabbed a hold of her face and brought it closer to the washcloth. "And, maybe, if you sat still every once in awhile, you wouldn't be getting this stuff in your eyes." He started to run the wash cloth across her cheeks, and down her face. "There." He said, removing the washcloth. Koharu opened her eyes, blinked, but then she went to put her hands over them again. "No." He said, again, pulling her hands away. "It's going to sting a little. You know that. How many times have we had this battle, Koharu?" He asked, knowing he wasn't going to get an answer. After a few seconds of silence from both of them, Akito reached for a towel. "Okay, you're done. Come on." He wrapped Koharu up in the towel, and picked her up out of the tub. After he drained the water, he left the bathroom with Koharu.

As he walked towards Koharu's bedroom, he realized that he forgot to ask Sana what Koharu was supposed to be wearing. He walked up to Sana's room and heard a hair dryer going off. He knocked on it, and slowly opened it. "Sana?" He opened the door all the way, and he saw Sana sitting in front of her vanity table. She had a towel wrapped around her body, and she had a hair dryer blowing her hair wildly in one hand, while her other hand was running a brush through it. Through the mirror that she was facing, she saw Akito and Koharu at the door behind her. She turned off the hairdryer, and she placed that and the hair brush on the vanity table. She turned around. "Hey, what's up?" She asked. For a brief moment, Akito couldn't speak. He couldn't revert his eyes away from her body. The towel was wrapped around her body so tightly, and her skin was still slightly glistening with water. The other problem, was Sana couldn't keep her eyes off of Akito either, well his upper body anyway, because he still didn't have a shirt on. However, it was Sana to snap back to reality first.

"Um, Akito?" She said, bringing him back to attention. His eyes blinked, and he looked at her face. "Oh, yeah." He quickly stuttered. "What's Koharu supposed to be wearing anyway?" He asked. Sana walked over to her bed, and picked up a tiny dress, pantyhose, and little black shoes. "Here." She handed them to Akito. He shifted Koharu into one arm, while he took the clothes from Sana with the other hand. "You're kidding me, right?" Akito asked, as he stared at the ensemble. Sana just nodded. "Yes, I told you. I want her to look nice. And, I'm going to do something with her hair too. But, you don't have to do that. Just get her dressed, and I will do the rest." Akito sighed to himself. "Fine." He said, defeated. He was about to leave the room, but Sana stopped him. "By the way, Akito?" He turned around to face her. "Yeah?" She walked up to him, and ran her hand through Koharu's hair. While she did that, she got close to Akito's ear. "Tonight." She whispered, almost in a seductive tone. Akito's eyes widened, and he stepped back away from her. "What?" He said, astonished. She cocked her eye, almost smirking. "You heard me." After that, she lightly shoved Akito out the door. "Now, get Koharu ready. I'll see you soon." She shut the door in Akito's shocked face.

* * *

Akito was back in the living room again, resting on the couch. After a long, struggling battle with Koharu, she was finally dressed. Now, Sana was taking care of her, doing her hair. Akito couldn't help but hear cries of torture coming from upstairs. He sighed. "Poor kid." He muttered to himself. Then he heard Sana's voice. "Shh, it's okay. You're fine." Sana whispered, soothingly. Akito ended up getting too curious for his own good. He stood up from the couch, and walked up the stairs. He got to Sana's room, and opened the door. "Geez, what are you doing to her?" He asked.

Sana had Koharu sitting on the table. She had a tiny curling iron in her hand, and she was trying to curl Koharu's hair. She sighed to herself, and put the curling iron down. "If all you're going to do is stand there and ask questions, why don't you come over here and help me. She won't sit still, and she's going to get hurt." Akito rolled his eyes, thinking that this whole thing was ridiculous. He walked up to the table. "Sit here. ." Sana said, pointing to the chair. "Hold onto her, while I do this. And please, for God's sake, keep her face from moving." She said, almost desperately. Akito simply sat into the chair, pulling Koharu with him. Koharu's hair wasn't even close to being finished. So far, Sana had managed to pull Koharu's hair into a half ponytail. Now, she was trying to curl the rest of it.

"Okay, Koharu!" Sana said, as she picked the curling iron back up. "You're almost finished, sit still now, okay?" She persuaded. Sana picked up a piece of her hair, and once the curling iron made contact, Koharu started moving her face away. Akito quickly, gently grabbed a hold of her face, keeping it in place. Koharu started to cry again. "Koharu, it's okay!" Sana said. She took the curling iron away again. She sighed, "What are we going to do?" Akito replied bluntly, "Simple, we leave her hair as it is, and go on with our lives." Sana rolled her eyes. "No, Akito. I meant how else do we get her to sit still. There is no way around it. Koharu is a little _girl._" Sana said, emphasizing on the word, girl. "And I would love for her to look and act like one every once in awhile." Sana said, crossing her arms. Surprisingly, Akito had no words to retort with. "Yeah, well, I still don't get why you have to do all of this today. Can't it wait for another time?" Akito asked. In truth, he just wanted to get this day over with. He had this typical attitude every year, and this particular year was no exception. Sana sighed, her eyes closed, then opened. "Akito, I've already told you. This day is important, especially to you. And, I want her to look absolutely beautiful." She said, with a smile. Akito was already in a bad mood anyway, that he took that sentence, and turned it into something worse. Akito glared at her, his eyes almost shouting. "This day. . Is. Not. Important!" He nearly shouted. Sana stepped back. He stood up. "I only go to the stupid cemetery every year, because it's the least I can do for the woman. And you know what, my mother, she won't even be there. All you get is this huge stone covering a box of bones, hell, it's probably not even bones anymore! This day is not important!" He shouted again. Already upset at himself for blowing up at her, and in front of Koharu as well, he very harshly handed Koharu off to Sana, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Sana had no emotions. Honestly, she didn't blame him. Even after all these years, he still held blame and responsibility from eighteen years ago. Koharu was crying, spooked from Akito's outburst. Sana reverted her attention to the frightened baby. "Shh, it's okay. Daddy's okay, Koharu." She sat down on her bed, and rubbed Koharu's back. "He just needs a few minutes to himself, that's all. You're okay. . . He's okay." She said, again, almost as if she was saying those words to comfort herself. When Koharu's cries started to turn into little sniffles, Sana stood up. "Now. . Let's get you finished up, so we can go see Grand-mama, huh?" Koharu knew who one of her "grand-mama's" were. "Grand-mama?" She asked, in a tiny voice. Sana smiled and nodded. "Yes, Grand-mama." Little did Koharu know that it wasn't Misako they were visiting today, it was her other grandmother, Koharu. Sana sat her back on the table. "Okay, let's get this finished!" She said.

Akito, having heard Sana whisper words of comfort to Koharu through the closed bedroom door, he couldn't help but feel like. . a monster. Throughout all of those years of personal Hell, wasn't that what everyone called him? A monster? "_Heh. Sounds about accurate."_ He thought to himself. He just made his daughter cry, he scared her. Right now, he really did feel like a monster. He ran into his room, slammed the door, locked it, and basically fell onto his bed stomach first. He ended up rolling over onto his back. He closed his eyes, briefly, but then opened them and stared up at the ceiling. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the punching bag that hung from the ceiling. He figured it would make him feel better, it always did in the past since he got it from his father. He stood up from his bed, and had a very successful boxing session.

* * *

After fifteen minutes of beating the punching bag to a seemingly pulp, Akito felt more relaxed now. He opened the door to his room, and that's when he heard Koharu crying again. Was she still crying over what happened? But, another question, why didn't he hear her crying in his room through the monitor? Akito walked back into his room, and examined the baby monitor that rested on his night stand. "_Oh, that's right."_Akito thought. Since it was Akito's birthday, Sana decided to turn the monitor off while he was sleeping. Akito shrugged, turned the monitor back on, and left his room once again.

He got to Sana's room, and opened the door. He peeked his head through the door, silently wondering if it was safe for him to go in there. He wasn't sure if Sana was upset with him or not. He wouldn't blame her if she was. When Sana didn't respond or turn around from where she was standing, Akito walked in further. "Is it safe?" Akito asked quietly. Since he was all the way through the door, he could see now why Koharu had been crying: Sana was trying to curl her hair again. Sana turned around and smiled gently. "Come over here." She said, motioning him over to her. Akito sat on her bed, and examined what progress Sana had made on Koharu's hair. Actually, to be honest, she didn't make any progress at all. Using the curling iron was very difficult, because one wrong move, and Koharu would be suffering from a horrible burn. So, Sana had to be as gentle and careful as she could be.

Sana put the curling iron on the table, and brought Koharu over to where Akito was sitting, giving Koharu a break. Koharu crawled right up to Akito. Akito was shocked for a second. Wasn't Koharu afraid of him right now? As if she was answering his question, she lifted her arms up towards him, and said, "Up."

"_Guess not." _Akito picked her up. He hugged her tightly, and whispered, "Sorry, Koharu." Sana who had been standing by watching, smiled brightly. She sat down beside him, and her smile disappeared. "Actually, I'm the one who should be apologizing, Akito. I should've known better, than to make this day more difficult for you. I just. . I don't want it to be difficult. I mean, it's your Birthday, and I know visiting your Mom is important to you, but. ." She stopped, thinking of the right words to say. "I guess I just wasn't thinking clearly. As old as I am, that still continues to be a problem. I don't think through anything, before I act." Akito's eye widened. "_At least she realizes it." _Akito thought, wryly. Sana kept talking. ". . If you don't want to go to the cemetery this year, that's fine too. We don't have to. We can do something different!" Sana said, trying to make him feel better.

"No, Sana. We're still going." No matter what he thought, he would be in front of that gravestone sometime today no matter what. "Don't worry about that. And. ." He started off, he paused, and then started again. "I didn't mean to blow up on you like that. It's not your fault." Sana shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it." She started staring at Koharu, and then she absentmindedly started running her fingers through Koharu's hair. She sighed, "Her hair is so beautiful, it's such a shame." She released Koharu's hair, once Koharu started to get irritated with the gesture. Akito started staring at Koharu's hair as well. "What do you mean, a shame?" He asked. Sana took Koharu out of his arms. "Well, since it's as you say, not a big deal, I won't continue with her hair anymore. However, it's already half way done. She's going to look odd, if we take her like this." She said, once again running her hand through Koharu's hair. It became a habit to Sana's, once Koharu's hair started getting wavy. Sana and Akito both agreed that the waviness came from Natsumi, and even Sana's real mother, Keiko.

Sana continued on. "So, I guess I'll just rinse these curls out and start over." Akito nearly fell backwards. Seriously, did anyone get the idea of, "getting this day over with?" Sitting around trying to get Koharu to cooperate, and make her into a young lady in ten minutes, was not making this day go any faster. "Well. ." Akito started, trying to think of a more logical solution, but could not come up with anything. This obviously, was not his expertise. All of this hair, dressing up stuff was all on Sana. "Why don't you just do something different." Akito suggested. "Just leave that stupid curling iron out of it. It's not working. Try something else." Sana thought about it for a second. "Hmm? Well, do you have anything in mind, Akito?" She asked. He rolled his eyes. "What do you think?" He asked, sarcastically. Sana nodded, "As I thought." She muttered to herself, but Akito heard her perfectly.

Sana sat Koharu on the table again, and examined her hair. "Well if I don't curl it, I still have to rinse the curls out. Well, maybe not. ." She said, now thinking out loud to herself. She started running her fingers through Koharu's hair again. Koharu, having enough of getting her hair messed with, she spoke. "Mama. . Stop." She said, almost clearly. "Sorry, Koharu. But, your hair is just so pretty!" Sana said, happily. Koharu's expression didn't change. "Stop." She said, again. Sana removed her hand from Koharu's hair. Akito was just standing nearby, watching. Really, he wanted to butt out of this. "Well, what if I. ." Sana said to herself, her hand was invading Koharu's hair once again. "Do this. ." Sana said. She pulled Koharu's half ponytail out of it's hair tie. "I don't think I'll have to rinse her hair out now." She said to Akito. He just nodded.

"Now, sorry, Koharu, but I'm going to be touching your hair again. You'll just have to deal with it." She said. Koharu just stared at her. Sana picked up a hair brush, and started brushing Koharu's hair, and the curls that Sana had already made, were beginning to disappear. "There. . See, no more curls." Sana said. "But, what else can I do with it? We're definitely not leaving it like this." Akito smacked his face with his hand. "Akito." He heard Sana speak to him. He removed his hand from his face. "What?" He asked. Sana motioned him towards her with her finger. "Come over here." He sighed to himself, and walked closer to her. "Hold this part." Sana instructed, handing him a piece of Koharu's hair. He took it, and questioned, "What are you going to do?" The way he was holding it, it looked like a pony tail. Sana smiled. "Perfect. Oh, she'll be so cute!" Sana nearly shouted. "Okay, hold onto this half of it." She said. Akito had half of Koharu's hair in his hand now, while Sana had the other half. She picked up the hair tie that she was previously using, and wrapped it around half of Koharu's hair. Now, Koharu had a side ponytail. "Okay. Thanks." She took the remaining of Koharu's hair out of Akito's hand. She picked up another hair tie, and pulled this half of Koharu's hair into another ponytail. Now, Koharu had a ponytail on each side of her head. Sana squealed. "Oooh, you're so adorable!" She picked up Koharu for a moment, and nearly squeezed her. After she hugged her, she sat her back down on the table. "Now, to finish it. ." Sana started, then she picked up the curling iron again. "Sana, I thought you were giving up on that." Akito said. Koharu saw the curling iron, and immediately she started crying. "No!" She cried. Just to get the horrible part over with, Akito sat in the chair again and held Koharu. Akito turned Koharu over his shoulder, so that she couldn't see the horrid object. "Just hurry up, Sana." Akito said. Sana nodded. She picked up one of Koharu's pony tails, and began to curl it.

* * *

Akito collapsed backwards onto Sana's bed. Finally, Koharu's hair was finished. Sana was standing with Koharu in the mirror. "Wow. Look at you! You're so beautiful!" Sana kept gushing over Koharu's appearance. Koharu's ponytals were now twisted into golden, bouncy curls. Koharu constantly tried to touch them, but Sana had to keep her hands away. "Well, take a look at her, what do you think?" Sana said, turning around from the mirror. Now, she noticed that Akito was not paying attention. "Akito. ." Sana said. She walked over to him, and pulled his hand upwards. "Come on!" She said, pulling him to a sitting position. "Doesn't she look like me now? Does she? Does she?" Sana kept asking this, because of the ponytails that Koharu now had. She waited for Akito to respond. He was staring at Koharu long and hard. Sure, Koharu seemed to have Sana's trademark ponytails, but the look that Koharu was giving off, did not help one bit.

Akito closed his eyes. "Nope. Not even close." He finally said. Sana frowned. She turned Koharu around to look at her face. She sighed, "Oh, well." But, then her face brightened up. "But, you're still so cute! I wouldn't have it any other way!" Koharu started wiggling in her arms, wanting down on the floor. She was getting sick of being held and she wanted to walk around. Sana placed her on her feet. "There you go." Koharu started walking around aimlessly, with no point in where she wanted to go. She just wanted to walk. With the door shut, Koharu couldn't go anywhere, so Sana reverted her attention to Akito, who was just sitting on the bed. "Akito. ." Sana said. She walked up to him, and started tugging on his hand. " Come on! Cheer up! Let's have some fun now!" Sana said, trying to cheer him up. Akito gave her a look that made her shut up. She sighed. "Anyway, since Koharu's hair is finished, all we have to do is eat, and we can go right?" She examined Akito's appearance. "You're not even close to being ready. Okay, go shower, while I feed Koharu. Okay?" She offered. Akito nodded. "Fine. I'll make it quick." He left the room, to take his well needed shower, while Sana finished getting ready herself. The whole time, while she was doing Koharu's hair, she was just dressed in shorts and a tank top. Sana was now dressed in a skirt and a nice shirt. She was putting light make-up on, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Mama." Koharu stated. Sana turned around and saw Koharu standing at the door. Koharu turned to look at her. "Mama. Out." She said. Sana smiled. "Just one minute, Koharu." Then, Sana turned back around to finish her make-up. Koharu wouldn't take Sana's response for an answer. She stood up further, reaching for the door knob. But, Koharu constantly forgot that the door knob was baby proof. Once she was able to touch it, the plastic that surrounded the door knob slipped under Koharu's fingers, and she wasn't able to grasp it. At the same time, her feet slipped out from under her, and she fell back onto her little bum. She cried out in frustration. Sana, having heard the obvious thump, was already kneeling beside her. "Koharu, I told you one minute!" Sana said, as she held Koharu while she momentarily cried.

She gave Koharu a kiss on the cheek, and then stood up. "Alright. Mama's ready. We can go out now." She said. Sana opened the door, and held onto Koharu's hand while she walked out the door. Right now, it wasn't that Koharu was still wobbly on her feet, Sana was just worried about the stairs, and Koharu was already being risky trying to walk down them.

They approached the top of the stairs, and Koharu was trying to let go of Sana's hand and run for the stairs. Sana held tightly to her hand, not letting her let go. "Slow down, Koharu." She said, lightly. They reached the stairs, and Koharu started to step down one. "Easy, Koharu." Sana said, in a worried tone. Sana felt like she was literally squeezing the life out of Koharu's hand. The stairs went so high up, if Koharu ever fell down, it was a long fall. Sana shook the horrible feeling away, and helped Koharu down the stairs, slowly. They successfully made it passed three steps, and Koharu started to wobble forward. Sana did not hesitate, and picked Koharu up immediately. To cover it up, Sana said, "Good job, Koharu! You're getting better, aren't you?" Sana made it down the stairs in ample time. She placed Koharu back on the ground. "There you go. Let's go to the kitchen, and get something to eat. You must be starving!" Sana said. She let go of Koharu's hand, and said. "Take me to the kitchen, Koharu." This was a new learning game that Sana came up with. Because the house was so big, it would be simple for Koharu to get lost. And, now that she was walking like a pro, she could be in Sana's sight for one second, and then the next second, disappear into a different room. So, that this wouldn't become an occurring habit, Sana started teaching Koharu how to get to certain areas of the house.

Sana knelt down to Koharu's level. "Koharu, do you remember how to get to the kitchen?" She asked. Koharu hesitantly nodded, and started walking forward. Sana stood up. "Okay! Take me to it!" She said, encouraging her. At first, Koharu was heading in the right direction, but then something else caught her attention: she spotted Shiro at the back door. She changed course, and headed for the back door. "Koharu, where are you going? That's the wrong way. Here, this way." Sana laughed. She took Koharu's hand, and tried to guide her, but Koharu tried to pull her hand away. "No." She pointed at the door, and kept walking, tugging on Sana's hand. "Shiro!" Koharu said. Sana sighed and let go of Koharu's hand. "All right. Let's get Shiro first, then we'll eat." She said. She wasn't sure about Koharu, but she was starving. Koharu was already at the door, reaching up for the knob, but once again she came across the irritating plastic covering that prohibited her from opening the door. "Hold on." Sana said, catching up to her. Once Sana got to the door, Koharu stopped reaching and waited. Sana opened the door, and backed away, bringing Koharu with her, knowing what was coming: Shiro came running through the door. If Sana or Koharu was in front of the door, Shiro would've knocked both of them down.

Shiro started barking and wagging her tail, happy to be back inside. "Shiro!" Koharu said, happily. She tried to wrap her arms around Shiro's body, but Shiro was taller than Koharu, so it was difficult. Shiro laid on her belly, and that allowed Koharu to wrap her arms around Shiro's neck. "Shiro." Koharu said, again. Sana smiled. Shiro truly made Koharu smile, and it made Sana so happy to see her smile. Koharu let go of Shiro, and then got on her hands and knees. She started crawling around Shiro, making dog noises. "Woof." She said. Sana giggled, as she watched them play. "Koharu, are you a dog now?" She asked, playfully. Koharu looked back at Sana and smiled. "Woof." She said again. She went back to crawling around, and Shiro started following her. Sana couldn't resist. She got on her hands and knees, being careful not to mess up her skirt, and started crawling around too. "Woof!" Sana said. "Look! Mama's a dog too!" She said. Koharu smiled and crawled up to her. "Mama!" She crawled back to her, and then Sana howled like a wolf. "Uh-oh! Now, I'm a wolf!" Sana said. Koharu kept giggling at how silly Sana was acting. Then Koharu tried to imitate her, and howled as well. Sana laughed, and in turn, Koharu laughed as well. "See, why can't you do that more often? Laugh! Smile! See how much fun it is? Your daddy has had the same problem!" Sana said to her. Shiro came up from behind Koharu and barked at her. Koharu smiled again, and turned around to bark back at Shiro. But instead of barking, she howled at her. Sana continued to join in on the little game. Sana and Koharu kept following Shiro around on the floor, barking and howling at her, until. . .

"What in the heck is going on?" A voice stopped Sana, but Koharu continued on barking. Sana giggled and stood up to where Akito was standing, watching them. "Hey. Took you long enough." Sana teased. Akito's eye rose in question. "What were you doing on the floor?" He had such a straight face, it almost scared Sana. "I was just playing with Koharu. Chill out!" She said, defensively. She suddenly noticed slight dust that was on her skirt, and then she started to wipe it off with her hands, when a chuckle erupted from Akito's mouth. She looked up at him, and he had his hand covering his mouth. "Akito?" She asked. He couldn't hold it in anymore, he started laughing. Koharu, curious as always, got on her feet and walked up to Akito. "Daddy?" She asked. Sana was more than shocked that Akito was laughing, especially when it's his birthday. "Wow. This is a breakthrough!" Sana said, teasing. Akito was trying to gain control. He breathed in, and then let it out. He looked down at Koharu who was standing, looking straight at him. He picked her up. "You two are insane." He said, simply. His smile quickly vanished, but Sana knew that Akito was really enjoying himself. "_Good enough." _Sana thought to herself. "Okay, who's hungry? Please? I don't know about you two, but I've got to have some food in my stomach!" Akito nodded. "That's not a bad idea." He said as he placed Koharu on the ground. "Take us to the kitchen, Koharu." He said, just like Sana would. He had agreed with Sana's idea, so he played this "game" with Koharu as well.

Koharu actually managed to lead them to the door to the kitchen. However, she had to wait for someone to open it since, like every other door in the house, it was baby proof. Sana opened the door, but then she stopped short. "Oh, no!" Akito looked at her, questioningly. "What?" Sana pointed up at the clock that hung nearly above the stove. "Would you look at the clock? It's after 11:30. Where did the time go?" She put her hand down, and started to think. Akito walked by her, and said, "Well, we can eat now, and then we'll go. What's the problem?" Sana sat down at the table. "It messes up my whole plan for today." Sana put her face in her hands in frustration. Akito picked Koharu up and put her in her high chair for now. He took a seat beside Sana. He took Sana's hands in his, and pulled them away from her face. "Sana, what was your plan?"

Sana sighed and then replied. "Well, it was supposed to be a surprise for you. If we woke up early enough, I was going to make us breakfast, and by this time we would've already been at the cemetery. After the cemetery, it would've been around lunch time. I was going to surprise you and take us to that Sushi Shop right next to the cemetery. But, it's already lunch time!" She said. Akito thought about it for a brief moment. "Sana, you're seriously freaking out for no reason. Every problem you've named off today, has always had a simple solution." This time, he looked deep into her eyes, silently persuading her to look back into them. When she did, he hesitantly touched her cheek. "Really, what's the problem?" Akito asked, gently. Sana's eyes widened, but then lowered. She shook her head. "N-nothing. Really, it's nothing. It's as I've said over and over today, I want today to be special for you. That's all!" Sana said, smiling, all worriness laid aside. Akito didn't quite buy it though. There was something else bothering her, she just wasn't being honest.

Sana suddenly snapped her fingers. "I know!" She said, happily. This time, Koharu had her attention. Throughout the silence, Koharu was just nibbling on her fingers, a habit that Akito and Sana were having difficulty breaking. Akito noticed, and pulled her fingers away. "Stop that." He said. Then, he turned back to Sana. "What is it?" He asked, curiously. Sana's smile grew. "Well, why don't we go see Mama Koharu right now." Baby Koharu looked her way, once again, but then her delicious looking fingers caught her attention. She started sucking on them again. Akito had to pull her hands away again. While this mental battle between Akito and Koharu went on, Sana continued to talk. "After we visit, then we can go get some sushi for lunch. Is that okay, Akito?" Akito had pulled Koharu's hands away once again, because Koharu seemed to be teasing him. He would pull her hands away, and then she would put her hands right back in her mouth: a never ending battle between father and daughter.

Akito ignored Koharu momentarily and looked back at Sana. "Yeah, sure. That's fine." Then, he turned back to Koharu again. "Knock it off, Koharu. This is ridiculous." He said, and of course, he pulled her hands away, but this time he didn't let go of them. Koharu started to pull, but Akito didn't budge. She looked at him, almost with pleading eyes. She pulled again. "No." She said, a pout starting at her mouth. "Sorry, Koharu. Break this habit of yours, and we wouldn't be having this problem." Akito said. Koharu pulled on her hands again. "Daddy. ." She said. Her eyes started to water, and they spilled, she started to cry. Akito sighed. There was his weakness, when she cried. He let go of her hands, and she whimpered for a few seconds. But, then all sadness ceased. For a second, he regretted giving into her, but if she were to put her hands in her mouth again, Akito would take them away again. No problem for him.

Sana stood up from her chair. "Okay. Well, I guess we should be going then! Let's go!" She picked up Koharu from the high chair, and sat her on the floor. "Let me get the stroller, and we can go." Akito nodded. He stood up, for a second, thinking about how quickly Sana could change situations around. Akito just shook his head.

* * *

They were almost at the cemetery. Sana was pushing the stroller along the sidewalk, while Akito dealt with a very excited Shiro on her leash. At first, they were not going to take Shiro, but Akito thought of one thing: News reporters. And, Shiro was the perfect thing to keep them away. She was big enough and had a deep enough growl, that any stranger that approached her would run screaming.

Every now and then, just to be safe, Akito and Sana wore sun glasses, to completely hide their identity. They didn't have to hide Koharu, unless any being with a camera came into their sight. If that were to happen, they covered her with a blanket. It was moments like these that Sana briefly wished that she was not famous. She wished she could leave the house now, with her family, and not have any disturbance what so ever. Now, it was much worse, since the media was targeting her in a negative way. The only good thing about her famous was the money she made out of the bargain; she was able to take care of her family without much financial difficulty.

Sana sighed outwardly, thinking through her quiet thoughts. Akito pulled back harshly on Shiro's leash, to slow her down, and then he looked at Sana. "You okay?" He asked. Sana blinked, making her thoughts briefly stop. She looked at Akito, and smiled. She nodded, "Yes. I'm just fine!" She said, happily. She looked over the stroller to check on Koharu. "How you doing, baby girl?" She asked. Koharu was nibbling on a slice of an apple. Before they left the house, Sana had to feed Koharu something, since she didn't have anything to eat all day. She went with just giving her a small plastic bag, filled with apple slices. "We're almost there!" Sana said to Koharu. "Are you ready to see Grand-mama?" Sana asked her. Koharu just nodded, once again, thinking that she's going to see Misako. Sana smiled brightly. "Good. I bet she can't wait to see you too!" Sana straightened back up, and looked over at Akito. "By the way, is your dad and Natsumi going today?" She had almost forgotten about them. "Maybe we should've waited until we talked to them first." Sana said.

"No, it's fine." Akito said, assured. "Dad said he was going to go after he got off of work. Natsumi decided to go with him later. They know that we're going right now." He said. Sana nodded. They became quiet again and continued to walk forward, until they came to the entrance of the cemetery. "Well, here we are." Sana said. Akito nodded and just walked forward. Sana started to walk behind him, but then she stopped short. She gasped, and Akito turned around. She had her hand over her mouth, like something had just dawned on her. "What is it?" For a second, Sana's eyes were blank, but then she blinked. Happiness came over them again. "Oh, nothing! Nothing at all!" However, all in all, it really was something. Something had just came to Sana's mind. They weren't just visiting Akito's mother, they were also visiting their son; the baby that they lost. Little did Sana know, that Akito was thinking of the exact same thing. He just kept quiet about it, just like she was.

Akito walked up to her, when she still didn't move. "Sana. Come on." He said, he reached for her hand, and she took it. That's when he felt her shaking, well mostly her hand. "You okay?" Sana nodded. "Let's go." She said. She walked forward, pushing the stroller with one hand. As they walked, Akito took the moment to glance at Shiro who was behaving herself. "I will only say one thing to you, Shiro: Destroy, or piss on anything in this place, and it will literally be your tail when we get home." He patted her side, as he said this, like he was complimenting her. Sana turned back to him. "Akito, you know Shiro is a very good dog. She won't ruin anything, I'm sure of it!" She said, with a smile on her face. Akito shrugged.

Finally, they made it to the gravemarker they were seeking. Sana gasped again. Akito stared at her. "What?" He asked. Sana put her hands on the side of her face. "We forgot to get flowers!" She exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it. Dad and Natsumi are taking care of the flowers later." Sana nodded and walked around to the front of the stroller to retrieve Koharu. "Alright. We're here! Come on!" She said. Koharu blinked her eyes. "Oh, no. You're getting sleepy already?" Sana said as she picked her up. Koharu nodded and laid her head on Sana's shoulder. "Akito, as bad as it is, I don't think we should stay here long. Because, Koharu needs to eat her lunch, before I put her down for a nap today." Akito nodded. "It's okay with me." Sana put Koharu on the ground. Koharu looked around and rubbed her eyes. She turned around and saw the huge stone that was in front of her. She pointed at it. "Mama." She said, for some reason the stone fascinated her. Sana got on her knees beside Koharu. "I know. Isn't it pretty?" Koharu continued to stare at it, but then she started to look around for something. Sana cocked her head to the side. "What are you looking for, Koharu?" Sana asked. This time, Akito knelt down beside Koharu as well.

Koharu looked back at Sana. "Grand-mama?" Sana just smiled. Akito whispered, "See, I told you we should've given her a different name." True, it would be confusing if both of Koharu's grandma's had the same name. Plus, Misako was the only grandma Koharu personally knew.

Sana smiled. "It's alright. Koharu, come here." She turned Koharu around to face the grave stone. "This is Grand-mama." She said, pointing at the stone. Akito continued to just watch them interract.

Koharu shook her head, and started looking around again. "Grand-mama?" She asked, again. Sana just nodded, and pointed at the grave stone again. "This is Grand-mama too. You have two of them." Koharu's look now was quizzical. Akito smacked his face. "Sana, this isn't going to work." Akito said. Sana briefly looked at him. "Akito, please, be quiet." She said. Akito just rolled his eyes. Sana turned back to Koharu. "Anyway, you have two Grand-mamas. You have Grand-mama Misako." She quickly pulled her wallet out of her pocket, and pulled a picture that she had of Misako out of it. "Grand-mama Misako." Sana said, again while pointing at the picture. Koharu pointed at the picture. "Grand-mama." She said. Sana nodded. "Yes, that's right." She looked at Akito. "Akito, you have that picture of your mom, right?" She asked. Akito nodded, "Yeah." He pulled his wallet out, and pulled the picture he secretly had of his mother, out of his wallet, and gave it to Sana. Sana showed the picture to Koharu. "This is your other Grand-mama. She has your name, Koharu." Koharu was now staring at her. She didn't have a clue. "See." Sana tried again. "Two Grand-mamas?" Sana said. Once there was no more interactive response from Koharu, Sana sighed. "Forget it. Here." She gave the picture back to Akito. He put it back in his pocket, then looked back at the grave stone. "Let's try and make this quick, okay?" Akito asked. Sana stared at him for a moment, but then she nodded. She positioned Koharu into a kneeling position. "Koharu, let's pray for Grand-mama, okay?" She said. She put Koharu's hands together, into a praying motion. Sana didn't want Koharu to pull her hands apart, so she kept her hands around hers. Out of the corner of Sana's eye, she saw Akito with his eyes already closed. His hands were clasped together, and he prayed in silence. Sana turned back to the stone, and spoke to herself. "_Hello, Mama Koharu. It's me, Sana. We all came again, just like I promised. The past year has been pretty crazy, but I think you already know that. You see our little Koharu, right? She's gotten so big! She's growing so fast, I can hardly believe it!"_ She had a huge smile on her face. Subconsciously, she let go of Koharu's hands, and continued to pray to herself. "_Mama Koharu, I can't help but ask though. ._ " She started, but then stopped.

Akito had already stopped praying, and he was watching Koharu and Sana closely.

Sana prayed to herself again. "_How is our son doing? Is he happy? Safe? I hope that he is smiling, and that everything is peaceful for him. I plan to come here and visit him again on his Birthday."_ She opened her eyes momentarily, and she glanced over at the little brown box that was still taped down, next to the huge stone. "_Give him a kiss for me, okay? Tell him Mama loves him, and Daddy too._" She stopped praying, when she felt her eyes get heavy. "That's enough." She said to herself.

Akito, who was watching her the whole time, crept closer to her and softly took her hand, since they weren't in a praying position anymore. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze, letting him know that she was okay. She turned her head to look at him, and she smiled at him. "Ready to go now?" She asked. Akito nodded, "Yeah." He turned back to get Koharu, but she was crawling towards an object that happened to catch her eye.

Suddenly, Koharu was tired of crawling, so she stood up and walked to her destination. Sitting on the left side of the whole thing was that tiny, brown box. Sana and Akito were watching her carefully. She stopped in front of the box, stared at it, then she reached out for it. Akito gasped outwardly, when he saw her try and grab it. "No!" Akito shouted, and he quickly pulled Koharu back. Akito turned her around. "You can not touch that. Understand? Do not touch it!" He said. Koharu nodded. Akito sat her back on the ground. She just sat there. Since she felt she was in trouble, she saw no point in going anywhere else. She glanced back at the box, but then turned back to Akito. Akito seemed to understand what she kind of wanted. He sighed. "It's okay. You can look at it. Just, don't touch it." Koharu turned back to look at the box. She stood up to walk towards it again, but Akito was spooked again. He pulled her back. "No." He said, once again. "You know what, let's go home, okay?" He stood up, and brought Koharu with him, but she didn't like that. She wanted to be on the ground. She started crying. "Come on. Stop crying." He said. Her crying didn't stop, she pointed her finger downward. "Down." She complained. She continued to cry, and try to struggle out of his arms.

Sana stood up from the ground, and wiped her skirt down. "She's just tired, Akito. We should go get something to eat, that way she can have her nap." She took her out of Akito's arms. "Come on, baby." She said. Koharu was still whimpering, and now she had her fingers in her mouth again. Sana gently pulled Koharu's fingers out of her mouth. "Koharu, you've got to stop that." She said, stressfully. Koharu only cried more. Sana sighed. "I know, Koharu. I know. We're going home now, okay? Settle down now." She said, trying to comfort her.

Akito lightly shrugged his shoulders and followed behind them. He turned back and noticed that Shiro had been silent the whole time. He believed that earned her a dog biscuit when they returned home. "Let's go, Shiro." He said. Shiro's ears perked up, and she stood up. He picked up her leash and lightly tugged on it, so that she would follow them. Since Sana was still carrying Koharu, that left Akito with the stroller and Shiro's leash. He turned back to look at the grave stone and the little, brown box one last time. "_See you two later."_

* * *

Since Koharu was so tired, which prompted her to be grouchy, Sana and Akito decided to just order Sushi for to-go. As they walked along the streets, Sana was still holding Koharu, while Akito pushed the stroller and lead Shiro along the path. The boxes of Sushi were placed in a basket that was inside the stroller.

Everything was silent, except for Koharu's suckling noises and Shiro's panting. They were about to pass a normal convenience store, when Sana stopped short. "Wait." She said. Akito stopped, and turned around. "What?" He asked. Sana was about to say something, but then she just smiled to herself. "Here. Take Koharu home with you. I need to pick something up real quick." She said. She went to place Koharu in his arms, but then she noticed that his hands were too full, so she put her in the stroller. She lightly kissed Koharu's hand, and stood up. "Okay. Go on. I'll meet you at home." Akito was as confused as ever, but he followed her lead. "Fine." He said.

Sana watched him go, and she waited until he was out of sight. She didn't want him spying on her, and then end up ruining her final surprise for the day. She smirked to herself, as she entered the store.

* * *

Sana opened the door to her house, with her hands occupied carrying two bags of groceries. She bumped the door with her hip, causing the door to close. She walked straight to the kitchen, and put the groceries away. She noticed that the house was pretty quiet. After she put everything away, she walked to the living room, and as expected, Akito was sitting on the couch. Koharu was sleeping soundly in his arms, and Shiro was sitting on the couch beside him, with her head in his lap. "Akito." Sana whispered. Akito turned his head and looked at her. "Hey." He whispered. Shiro lifted her head from his lap, and then hopped off of the couch to greet Sana. "Hey there, Shiro." She said, happily, while petting her. She walked up to the couch and sat down beside Akito. Koharu was still dead asleep. "How long has she been out?" She asked. Akito took one glance at the clock, and said, "About fifteen minutes. I went on ahead and fed her, because she kept fighting sleep." Sana nodded. "Okay. Go ahead and eat. I'll take her to her room." Sana offered. Akito carefully handed her off to Sana without hesitation, and Koharu didn't budge. "I'll be right back." Sana whispered, and left the living room.

After eating their sushi in silence, Akito and Sana spent the next hour just watching TV, which was most of the time, rare. When Koharu was taking her afternoon naps, it gave them some time to be alone.

Sana was cuddled up next to Akito. She broke the silence. "So, tell me, what did you have to say to your mother this time?" She asked. Akito shrugged. "Same. Not really a lot this time." That was a lie, he had a lot to say, but he wasn't going to admit that. Not right now, it didn't feel appropriate.

Sana nodded. "I didn't say much this time either." She said, partially true. "I asked her about. . ." Sana trailed off, but she kept wondering if it was okay to talk about it. "Our son?" Akito finished her sentence. Sana stuttered slightly, "Umm. . Yeah. I did." Since she didn't feel sad about anything at the moment, she decided to speak more in regards to it. "I guess I'm just so sure that he's happy with her." She smiled brightly, genuinely happy about the thought. Akito nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I believe so too." Akito answered back.

"Let's go back in May, okay?" Sana blurted out. Her eyes were pleading with Akito. He didn't see a real problem with it. "I don't see why not." He said, casually. Sana nodded, still smiling. "Good!" Sana laid her head against Akito's shoulder and sighed. "_Good. I was able to talk about him without crying this time."_ She smiled to herself and closed her eyes for a moment. Subconsciously, Akito's arm lingered around Sana's back, his hand was tracing random patterns on it. The slight touches were causing her to shiver, and goose bumps were rising on her skin. She sighed again, "Akito." For a moment, she thought she would fall asleep, but then something caught her eye on the TV. "Oh, no." She muttered to herself. Akito's hand stopped moving. He continued to watch what was being said on the TV: More complaints about Sana. "Geez, do they ever give a break?" Akito asked, quietly. Sana sighed, and then untangled herself from Akito's partial embrace. "Akito, please, just turn it off." Sana stood up and ran away from the room. "Sana?" He called out to her, hoping she would come back. But, he already heard her dashing up the stairs. He turned off the TV and ran up the stairs after her.

Apparently, this whole situation was almost too touchy for Sana to handle. Why would people continue to judge her like that? She didn't do anything wrong. Really, she didn't. Just because she had a baby, the world had to criticize her, and now she's thought of as irresponsible, a bad influence.

Akito already knew that Sana was in her room. He didn't even bother knocking. He opened the door, and saw Sana sitting on the edge of her bed. "Sana." He walked up to her and sat beside her. "Sorry." He said. Sana just shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. That's just something I have trouble ignoring." She explained. After she ran away from the room, she felt like such a child.

Akito stood across from her, his hands were placed on her shoulders. "I understand." He said, quietly. Sana looked up at him again, and smirked. "Yeah. You should. After all, you are the "unsupportive father of Sana Kurata's baby." Sana quoted sarcastically. Akito's eyes didn't soften one bit. "Please, don't ever let me hear that come out of your mouth again." He almost demanded. Sana kept her smile on her face. "Sorry." She giggled. "Hey, come here." She tugged on his hand, making him sit down. Now, she had her hands on his leg, lightly running her fingers up and down. "Tell me, what time should your dad be home?" Sana asked, quietly.

Suddenly, Akito couldn't think. Reasons being that Sana's hands were occupied, almost too close for normal comfort. He cleared his throat. "Um, Six-ish. He's supposed to meet up with Natsumi right after he gets off work." Sana nodded. "Excellent." She said, completely satisfied. Before Akito could ask obvious questions, Sana nearly tackled Akito, her lips capturing his. Akito could never resist her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him, as close as she could get. Sana wrapped her arms around his neck, lightly tugging on his hair. She gasped lightly, breaking apart momentarilly. This time, she tackled him full force, she landed on top of him, and her lips were his again. Now, as she straddled his body, her hands traced down his chest, to his stomach, then to the hem of his shirt. As she went to lift his shirt up, Akito's mind took control of his body.

"Wait." He stopped her. He grabbed her hands and pulled them away from his shirt, and he sat up. "What are we doing?" He asked. It was almost a dumb question, but then again it was a true question. Sana sighed. "You know, Akito, sometimes, you can be a real stick in the mud." She complained. Akito rolled his eyes. "And for good reason." He added. As much as it really bothered him, he didn't want to make _this _mistake a third time. "Sana, you know we can't." He said, almost sadly. Sana smirked. "Oh, yes we can." Akito cocked his head in confusion. "What are you talking about, stupid?" He said, and he really meant it. He didn't want them making anymore stupid mistakes. Now, Koharu was not a stupid mistake, not at all. Just something that they didn't want to happen again so soon.

Sana hopped off of the bed for three seconds, and she hopped back onto it again. She threw the tiny, square object at his chest. "You fool." Sana muttered. She was smiling, but her words were serious. "Did you really think that I hadn't thought this one through." She smirked. He just stared at the foil packet, that was in his hand. "When did you get this?" Sana giggled. "Ohhh. ." She trailed off.

"At the convenience store this afternoon." She said, still smiling. Akito didn't really know what else to say. Sana had indeed, prepared for this one. He kept rolling the condom package between his fingertips. His body and mind were, once again, in a battle with each other. The 'Condoms can break.' line kept weighing on Akito's head. He sighed to himself with this inner struggle.

Sana hopped off the bed. "Oh, well. So much for that idea." She shrugged her shoulders. "Better luck next time. Wait, I wonder when the next time will be. . ." She thought to herself. Akito looked up at her. She was about to walk out of the room. "Wait." Akito said. Sana turned back, totally nonchalant. "What do you want?" She asked. Akito struggled to put his feelings for Sana into words right now. He wanted Sana. Bad.

"Okay, well, I'm going to go back downstairs now." She went to open the door. "Sana." Akito stopped her again. She turned around and batted her eyelashes innocently. "Get. Over. Here." Akito nearly demanded. Sana just stared at him. "Hmm, I don't know . . I don't think I really feel like it now. ." She trailed off. Akito clenched his teeth. "Please." He begged. Sana turned her head so that he couldn't see her. She smiled and whispered, "Yes!" She turned back to him, her smile plastered on her face. She sighed outwardly. "Oh, thank goodness." She said.

Akito nearly had his arms out, waiting for her. From the door, Sana threw just her shirt off, onto the floor. She ran full speed and tackled Akito onto the bed, once again. Before Akito could kiss her, she whispered. "I love you, Akito." She straddled his body. Their kisses became contagious once again, as they picked up where they left off.

* * *

Akito and Sana had not moved. They were in the same position that they _stopped _in. Now, they were just staring at eachother for a moment. Sana laid her head back down on his chest, still breathing heavily. She was still on top of Akito's body, now laying flat against him. Akito was running one of his hands through her hair. "_That was quite a Birthday present."_ Akito thought, wryly. He smirked to himself. "Akito." He heard Sana murmur. She sighed, fully content. "I love you." She said. She lifted her head up and briefly kissed him. "I really do." It was almost as if she was convincing him. Akito nodded. "I know." He said. "Oh, and Happy Birthday by the way." Sana said. Akito smirked. "Yeah, thanks." He said, not really feeling like talking at the moment. Sana laid her head back down. She happened to notice the clock that was sitting on her night stand. "Koharu will have to wake up soon." She said to herself. She pushed herself up off of his chest. "I'm hungry." Akito said, suddenly. Sana's eyes blinked for a moment, but then she just smiled. "More sushi?" She asked. Akito just nodded. Sana thought for a second. "Let me get a shower first, then you and Koharu can have a snack." She said. Akito nodded again.

She grabbed a set of cloathes from her dresser, but then she sat them back down. She looked back at Akito. "Come with me." She suggested. Akito's eyes popped open, and he sat up. "Really?" Sana nodded. "Mhm." She said. "Come on." She ran out the door, to dash across the hall to the nearest bathroom. Akito was about to chase after her, but then he quickly stopped and picked up another square packet out of the box that Sana had purchased. Just in case. Then, he chased after her. A shower for two was underway.

* * *

About two hours passed, and Akito and Sana were done being lazy, however Sana could hear people downstairs. She knew better than to let Akito down there. "Akito, let's just lay here for a little longer." She pleaded. Suddenly, Misako's voice randomly came through the baby monitor in the room. "Sana. Let's go." That was her signal. But, that was a bad idea. . . Koharu started crying soon after that.

Koharu was crying in her crib, wanting to be let out of her crib. Shiro was already at the door to her room, barking. Since no one had responded to her, she went to Sana's room, and opened the door with her nose since it was cracked open. She barked, wanting Sana's attention. Sana and Akito were in the process of getting dressed when they saw Shiro. "Yes, Shiro. We know." Sana said, reassuringly. They could hear Koharu through the baby monitor. Sana zipped up her jeans, and went out of the room. Akito followed suit. They opened the door to Koharu's room, and Shiro ran full speed inside. "Shiro!" Koharu shouted, excited. She saw Sana and Akito walk in, and she stretched her arms out. "Alright. Alright." Sana said. She flipped the latches to the crib, and pulled Koharu out of it. She sat her on the ground. "There you go." Sana said. Koharu walked straight for the door, wanting out of her room. The door was open, so she tried to run right out the door, heading for the stairs. "Oh, no!" Sana gasped. "I got her." Akito said, already caught up with Koharu. "Come here, you." He said, picking her up. "No!" Koharu shouted. "Too bad." Akito said, not at all phazed with Koharu's outburst. Sana was behind Akito, and they walked down the stairs. All the way down, Koharu kept squirming in his arms trying to get down. "Down! Down!" Sana kept saying. He said nothing to her, until he got to the bottom floor. Then, he sat her down."There you go, impatient." He said.

They heard noises coming from the living room, but something caught Akito's eye. Was that red streamer on the ceiling? Then, everything got quiet, as they approached the entrance to the living room. Once they entered it, the lights that were off, flicked on, unexpectedly.

"Surprise!" Everyone shouted in the room. "Happy Birthday, Akito!"

Akito took a step back. "What the hell is this?" He asked. Natsumi ran up to him, and pulled him into a Boa, constricting hug. "We really really wanted to throw you a party this year!" Natsumi exclaimed. She didn't let go of him, and her hold on him was actually starting to hurt him. "Natsumi, let go already!" He said, and shoved her away. Then he could breathe. He looked around the room. Everyone was here, even his close friends from school. Then, he looked back at Sana who was just standing at the entrance of the room. She had a very wry smile on her face. "You knew about this?" He accused. Sana giggled. "Well, sort of." Akito nearly glared at her. "Yes or no." He said. Sana giggled again. "It was all my idea, Akito." She said. Akito's eyes widened. He looked back and glanced around the room again. There was food on the table, a decorated cake, presents! "Wow." He muttered. He never had a Birthday Party before. 'Wow' was an understatement for Akito. He couldn't even come up with words of thanks for all of this. He was beyond shocked. Was this day going to come up with any more surprises? Akito shook his head.

His father, Fuyuki walked up to him. "Well, come on, Akito. It's your eighteenth birthday. Let's have some fun." He said, casually. Akito nodded. "Yeah, okay." Everyone surrounded him, he felt like he was under a spotlight. And, he wasn't used to this much attention. This was Sana's expertise. And, speaking of Sana, he noticed that she was still standing by, not really bothering with anything. He walked up to her. "Something wrong?" He asked. Sana just shook her head. "No, not at all. I just want you to enjoy this moment." She said. She took a hold of Akito's hand, and brought him back to the group. "Let's eat!" Sana said. Every nodded in agreement.

Tsuyoshi randomly spoke out of the small crowd. He was looking around. "Wait a second, someone's missing." He said. Everyone looked at him for a moment. "Where is Koharu?" He asked. They heard Shiro bark. And, they found the dog right next to Koharu. She already had sushi in her hands, and she was feeding it to Shiro. Everyone just 'Awed' at her. "Guess it didn't take too long for Koharu to find the sushi plate." Sana said, laughng.

Koharu finally noticed that everyone's attention was now on her. She just looked at them. "Sushi." She said. She took a small bite out of it. Everyone started laughing at her. Koharu paid no mind, she continued to enjoy her sushi.

Sana and Akito were watching her, as well, and Sana laughed with the group. She leaned up to Akito's ear, during the commotion. "Happy Birthday, Akito. I really do hope today was special for you." She said, hopeful. Akito took a look around. "Uh, yeah. It was, all right." He said, and he meant it. This Birthday was definitely not a typical one for him.

Sana smiled at him. Then, she whispered in his ear. "I love you." She seemed to be saying that a lot today. Akito nodded to himself. Then, he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Love you too." He said. Then, he straightened himself up. Sana's smile couldn't get any bigger. However, what she saw on Akito's face was most of the time, very rare.

He was looking at his daughter and everyone else in the room. This whole atmosphere, this whole day in particular. For the first time in his life, his Birthday: the day of his birth, and the day of his mother's death. For the first time ever, on his Birthday, he smiled.

* * *

And this was Chapter 2. I hoped you guys loved it. I really enjoyed writing it, and I'm sorry that it took so long to update. Thanks again for all of the support and love on this story. Watch out for Chapter 3 soon!

-Stephanie.


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